They'll Come Back
by Franny Moon
Summary: Features a moody McGonagall, a sorry Ron, an amused Harry, two teasing Ravenclaw prefects, an annoyed Cho Chang, but above all a daydreaming Luna and a bossy Hermione.Set during OotP, Hermione and Luna become friends, 'cause I though they ought to...


For BBQ-kun, because by my fault, his fan club is angry at him, and I wish I didn't enjoy so much all those moments alone with him...  
  
And For Stacy Janice Elton, again, and again, and again. Because you're a wonderful person and I DO NOT hate you, I never will. You'll get your extra long e-mail soon I promise, school begins on Thursday and I promised a long letter before I went back to school. Sorry for being so busy right now... ;_;  
  
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They'll Come Back  
  
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By Franny Moon  
  
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The last lazy rays of afternoon sun crawled their way through the square shaped windows of McGonagall's Transfiguration class.  
  
The stern-faced teacher was about to dismiss the students, the last class of the cold autumn day reaching it's end. It was already halfway through October and soon, classes would end when the sun was set.  
  
Minerva McGonagall always though carefully about every homework she gave to her students, but this year, she felt it was even more important. With such an incompetent in charge of the most important class, she felt frustrated to be teaching a subject such as Transfiguration. Sure, Transfiguration was most fascinating and useful in every days life, but knowing how to turn an animal into a wine goblet wasn't going to save her students' lives during the upcoming war. When such thoughts darkened her already glum moods, she cheered up, thinking that the youths could always transfigure their wands into Muggle Bazooka and blast everything in sight, in case of danger.  
  
With a small smile, she thought of the damages Longbottom would cause with such a weapon within such clumsy hands.  
  
She cleared her throat and cast a severe look upon her fifth year Gryffindors.  
  
"For next class, I want you lot to read carefully the sixth chapter of your Transfiguration book level 5. Bonus points if you can master the spell it's about. Don't forget! Transfiguring a book into another book may seem easy, since books are mostly alike, but it's only in appearance, it takes a great deal of practice and concentration to change every words and every pages! The biggest the book is, the hardest the spell becomes." She said, content with her explanations.  
  
A groan was heard from her right.  
  
"Wonder what book Hermione will change into 'Hogwarts, a History'."  
  
"Mr. Weasley..." she warned.  
  
Ronald Weasley blushed to the very tip of his ears.  
  
"Sorry, Professor..." he mumbled, under Hermione Granger's angry stare and Harry Potter's amused gaze.  
  
"You can all go, the class is over." McGonagall announced. " Miss Granger, I'd like to talk to you please." She added.  
  
Hermione quickly grabbed her books, parchments and quills and walked to her favourite teacher's desk.  
  
"D'you reckon she's got 112% in the last too? 'Cause I think it'd be a record..." Ron sniggered to Harry, who answered with hearty smile. "Still wanna play chess tonight, mate?" he asked.  
  
"Mr. Weasley... you better not forget tonight's prefects reunion."  
  
"Tonight Professor?" he asked, apologetically looking at Hermione for his earlier joke, and at Harry for cancelling their chess game.  
  
After all, he still wanted a place next to someone whose presence he could tolerate at tonight's meeting and best friend didn't he?  
  
"Sorry, Harry." He said truthfully.  
  
Harry sighed with apparent disappointment and they left the class.  
  
Hermione smiled politely to her teacher and asked with a dutiful voice:  
  
"What is it, Professor?"  
  
Minerva smiled down at her best student, really wondering what book she would transfigure into 'Hogwarts, a History' for Wednesday's class.  
  
"Would it be a bother if I asked you to pass by Ravenclaw's common room before you regained Gryffondor's? Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil haven't been informed of tonight's meeting and I wouldn't like them to miss it." She explained.  
  
"It's quite alright with me, Professor, but like you already know, I'm a Gryffindor. How will I enter their common room?" Hermione asked, her brows knitted together.  
  
McGonagall smiled.  
  
"I'll give you a visitor pass, of course. I'd have thought you'd know , Miss Granger..."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened, not unlike when she understood a quite difficult riddle.  
  
"Of course! I read of them in 'Hogwarts, a History'!"  
  
"The contrary would've surprised me." McGonnagall said as her smile widening.  
  
She quickly conjured a one day visitor pass for the Ravenclaw common room and gave it to Hermione, without further clarifications, figuring that the student would recall what to do with it.  
  
"Thank you, Miss Granger, this is highly appreciated!"  
  
"My pleasure, Professor!" she answered, truly pleased to help the head of her house.  
  
Shouldering her book bag, Hermione took off, softly humming to herself. It's only a few steps away that she realized that she hadn't a clue as to where she was heading to. She blushed slightly lightly and decided not to go back in McGonagall's class, affraid to look utterly stupid. Instead, she mentally kicked herself for her forgetfulness (Really, Hermione, you're seeing too much of Neville Longbottom for your own good!) and decided to follow a small group of Ravenclaws, careful not to be noticed.  
  
After a few turns, the third years she was stalking came to an halt in front of an antique armour. The tallest of the lot whispered some words to the massive metallic structure, the password probably, and it nodded curtly, pushing the wall lightly.  
  
Under Hermione's impressed stare, a door-sized part of the wall pivoted and the Ravenclaws stepped in, chatting animatedly.  
  
Once the wall returned to its original position, Hermione walked slowly to the armour.  
  
"Hum... excuse me... huh... sir..."  
  
The armour didn't move a bit.  
  
Hermione cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"I'd like to huh... I mean I have a pass and..."  
  
The armour still didn't stir and Hermione began to feel stupid. What if some Slytherins passed by and saw her talking to herself?  
  
She sighed and looked down at her pass.  
  
"One day visitor pass to the Ravenclaw Common Room" it said "Show it to its guardian, state your name and the motive of your visit and tell him the visitors' password. The pass word is..."  
  
Underneath this followed the password, the date and McGonagall's fancy signature.  
  
Hermione smiled brightly and placed the piece of paper to what she assumed was the armour's eyes level and said. I'm Hermione Granger, I came to tell Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil that they had to attend a prefects reunion tonight."  
  
She said the visitors' password and, to her relief, the armour nodded twice, and pushed the wall. Heaving a sigh, she stepped in the Ravenclaws' common room.  
  
It was a nice place, decorated in bronze and royal blue. When they saw her, a group a studying first year threw her confused looks, but Hermione paid them no attention. She looked around, searching for a familiar face to whom she could ask where were the prefects she was looking for, when she accidentally bumped into someone. Startled, she looked slightly up and found herself staring at Cho Chang's annoyed features.  
  
"What are you doing here, Granger?" she asked, keeping her voice to a polite tone.  
  
Hermione once again explained the reason of her presence here and Cho told her to wait there, then went fetching her two classmates. Hermione watched her walk away with grace. Harry really had to tell Cho that he had no crush on Hermione... She didn't like the almost dirty look Chang gave her before turning to leave.  
  
A monochord greeting took Hermione out of her reveries.  
  
"Hello, Hermione Granger."  
  
Hermione turned to see none other than Luna Lovegood. Luna's hair wasn't as dirty as usual, but she still had her Butterbeer caps necklace and her wand was on the same safekeeping spot than usual, behind her left ear.  
  
"Oh! Huh... hello Luna. You know, you can drop the family name, if you please."  
  
Luna's expression stayed blank.  
  
"Okay, Hermione Granger."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed.  
  
"Could you lend me one of your quills, they've already stolen all of mines. They're awfully early this year." Luna stated.  
  
"Who stole your quills?" Hermione asked, frowning.  
  
"Oh... probably the same person who stole my lavender dress robe... and my Weird Sisters poster... and the pack of home-made cookies dad sent last week... and my jar of green ink, but it doesn't matter because I have no more quills so I couldn't you use it anyway." The blonde-haired girl listed slowly.  
  
"You mean... people are actually stealing you things?"  
  
Luna's dreamy smile didn't falter.  
  
"Yes." She simply answered. "So could I have a quill please, I'd like to finish my homework." She added, still ever so calmly.  
  
"Huh... of course..." the older girl answered, still surprised.  
  
She fumbled through her things, found a white quill and handed to Luna.  
  
"Thank you, Hermione Granger." She said, her pale eyes fixed on Hermione's ardent amber ones.  
  
The prefect was at loss of word. Why didn't she know about this? Why didn't Padma or Anthony ever mentioned it to Professor McGonagall during the prefects meetings! Why didn't Luna react?  
  
She was once again taken out of her trance, but this time by a cheerful voice.  
  
"Hello Hermione! What're you doing here!" asked Padma.  
  
Hermione looked up, still troubled.  
  
"Huh... Hello Anthony, Padma. Professor McGonagall asked me to tell the two of you that there was a prefect meeting tonight at seven in her office."  
  
Padma pouted.  
  
"Why are we always the last to know when there's a meeting!" she whined, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Isn't it sad, Padma, you'll have to cancel your nail polishing session of tonight..." Anthony said with sarcasm.  
  
Hermione smiled. Anthony and Padma were always teasing each other, but everybody knew that they cared for each other a great deal.  
  
"Sodd off Tony!  
  
"I already told you not to call me Tony!"  
  
"Stop making fun of my perfectly manicured nails and I'll stop calling you Tony, *Tony*."  
  
"In your dreams, *Patil*!"  
  
"You should maybe come at my next "nail polishing session" like you call them. I have this perfect nail polish for you ,*Tony*.It'd fit your pink socks soooooo well!"  
  
"Oh! Yes let's do it in your room so I can have a good look at the picture of Gilderoy Lockart you keep under you pillow! Maybe we can still manage to see his charming smile even with all the drooling!"  
  
Hermione was about to cough politely to interrupt the verbal confrontation, but Luna Lovegood's loud laughers brought Anthony and Padma back to reality.  
  
"Oh... huh... hum... sorry Hermione" blushed Anthony "I guess we got a little... huh... carried away."  
  
"A little, yeah..."she approved.  
  
Padma coughed to cover her embarrassment.  
  
"Was it all you needed to tell us?" she asked.  
  
"Ye.... erh... no." She glanced sideway at Luna, who had resumed writing her homework. "Did you know that--"  
  
"Hey Loony! Found another quill did you?" said a seventh year loudly enough for the whole common room to hear, snatching the white quill from Luna's pale hand.  
  
The students who didn't laugh didn't react, they just kept reading, or writing, or playing chess, clearly intimidated by the older and taller student.  
  
"Give it back... it's not mine..." Luna said.  
  
Her voice wasn't pleading at all but her face... for once, her face had some colour and expression. Blotches of angry pink spread on her usually pale cheeks, forming a blush that could rival a Weasley's anytime. Her forehead was horizontally barred by two or three wrinkles, great sign of worry and anxiousness.  
  
The seventh year laughed.  
  
"I said give it back... I borrowed it and I intend on returning it."  
  
"Loony Lovegood! Didn't your mother told you it wasn't ok to lie! Everybody knows that no body would lend you anything!"  
  
Luna looked down, giving up.  
  
Hermione turned to Anthony and Padma, scandalized.  
  
"Don't you guys have anything to say about that!"  
  
Padma shuffled her feet and Anthony looked down.  
  
"Hermione," he said " look at him, admit that he's quite scary."  
  
Hermione threw him an almost disgusted look and turned toward the harasser.  
  
"Aren't Ravenclaws known for their incredible brains? Then why a--"  
  
Her eyes fell on Luna, whose blank smile was back and cheeks had returned to their normal paleness. She was slowly moving her head from head to right, in a silent no.  
  
Hermione was confused. And frustrated. To Padma and Anthony she said:  
  
"See you two tonight!" in quite a harsh tone and to the nearest Ravenclaw (who occurred to be a very annoyed looking Cho Chang):  
  
"And give the girl a quill so she can resume her homework for Merlin's sake!"  
  
Hermione stomped out, in a very Hermione way. She felt her visitor pass tear itself up in her pocket, but she didn't bother to look for the pieces for she knew she'd find none. She read it in 'Hogwarts, a History'.  
  
"I know you think I'm stupid, Hermione Granger."  
  
Hermione froze. She'd recognize the monochord tone anywhere. The prefect felt uneasy. It's true that she had thought loads of mildly mean things about Luna Lovegood since their first weird encounter on the Hogwarts Express, but stupid was none of them. Stupid was a crude and really mean word.  
  
She swirled 'round to face the blonde girl.  
  
"Of course not Luna..."  
  
"You, Hermione, are clever, besides you said my dad's magazine was rubbish...I can see it in you eyes that you think I'm unintelligent. Unworthy of being a Ravenclaw." It didn't sound like a reproach at all, coming from such a slow and expressionless tone... it sounded like a mere statement.  
  
"You're wrong, Luna. I know Ginny wouldn't hang out with someone who's dense. You have an incredible imagination, that what I think. You're world must be very pleasant and... colourful ..." said Hermione, not quite surprised to find that she was truthful.  
  
The ghost of a *real* smile played on Luna's pale thin lips.  
  
"You really think so?"  
  
"Of course." Hermione smiled "May I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure, Hermione Granger."  
  
Hermione let out a tiny sigh, she couldn't change what Luna really was could she?  
  
"Why didn't you let me scold that total jerk?"  
  
"Oh... it's not worth it... I always find all my things... they'll come back... in the end they always come back..." She said, quite mysteriously.  
  
Hermione gave her a funny look then said:  
  
"You know, Luna is the Italian for moon... lune, in French. Frenchs have this weird expression about 'being on the moon' or something like that... it means... daydreaming. You're completely still, your face is totally blank and you're fixing something faraway, while lost in you thoughts." Hermione said, recalling what she learnt while she was in France a couple of years ago. "Maybe this is just it, maybe your constantly 'dans la lune'..."  
  
Luna gave her a puzzled look, not quite grasping what she meant. When Hermione turned to leave, Luna smiled. A real smile. Maybe she didn't fully understand , but it sounded beautiful.  
  
"Remember Hermione, don't you worry about me. My things... they'll come back."  
  
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The end  
  
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Okay, I wrote this to see how my English was doing after two months without any English class (French is my first language). So, how was it?  
  
Also, it's my first real Hermione fic... I usually don't write her, but I didn't like the fact that there was an unsaid dislike between her and Luna in OotP...  
  
Also, I'm sorry for making a little fun of Neville in this fic, don't mistake me, I absolutely love him...  
  
So how did you like the fic? Please... review and tell me... 


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